Something that I didn't expect happened at 40.
Rather than dread the milestone year, much like I did when I turned 30, I decided to make 2012 positive and fulfilling and embrace the age instead of denying it.
I bought art. I renovated the kitchen. I grew my hair out.
And I took a look at my figure, a body that had been idle for far too long.
In June, I was fortunate enough to be offered a six-month membership pass to the Port Moody recreation complex, which quickly became a second home to me and my family.
While my pre-schoolers played soccer at night, I lifted weights, cycled and ran on the Arc Trainer in the workout room. Twice a week, I was in the spinning room with Leisha and Lisa, and, on weekends, I rolled out the yoga mat.
Every month, I would check in with the personal trainer assigned to me, Lori Periana, a mom of two grown children who had gone through the same weight battles as me years earlier. Her sunny disposition always brought a ray of light to my day.
At first, I emailed her on Fridays, explaining how I had tried to get to the gym that week, what I had eaten and how I was trying to improve. Her words were generally the same: Add more veggies, remove starchy carbs, eat five times a day and keep up the cardio.
After my first fitness story was published in July - featuring Lori's picture - I posted the newspaper article to my fridge for motivation. And every time I passed it, I could hear her encouragement in my head.
But the next two months, I hit a wall. I had a lower back strain. The nutritionist, Cindy Gauthier, also said the start of any exercise routine can be a challenge, with many toxins leaving the body.
Still, I soldiered on, hoping for the magic light to switch back on.
It did in early October, when I began to see results. Though I was not losing pounds, I shed a couple of inches and my clothes fit better. My skin became almost translucent and my hair shone.
I was healthy and happy and, best of all, I had more energy than I'd had in years, which in turn benefitted my work and my family.
Every day, I longed to exercise, to stretch my hips - back-to-back pregnancies take their toll - and to clear my mind from the stresses of life.
It showed when I couldn't squeeze in an hour. My hubby would sense the frustration and recommend I take a "time out" at least in our condo's amenities room or, after the kids got to sleep, pop in a post-natal exercise video from celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson - a series I have yet to get through in a single session.
Today, I look back over the past six months and I can be proud. I realize after 20-plus years of doing nothing for my health, it will be years before I will get into the shape that I've always had of myself in my mind.
And for that, I have Lori to thank for setting me on my new path.
